Qualcomm and doubleTwist team to create MagicPlay - an open source media streamer

Chip maker Qualcomm has teamed up with the folks at doubleTwist and will be delivering MagicPlay - a platform they're billing as an open-source challenger to AirPlay. Running on Qualcomm's AllJoyn protocol, MagicPlay will allow any Android device to stream media to any other device -- provided it uses a Qualcomm chip running the AllJoyn protocol.

Using MagicPlay and AllJoyn will allow users to connect via Wifi and avoid Bluetooth (which doubleTwist labels as a headache). Manufacturers can add support by embedding a small open-source component, and application developers can embed MagicPlay services into any application to add media streaming.

See the press releases from Qualcomm and doubleTwist after the break for more details.

doubleTwist® Announces MagicPlay™

Today at Mobile World Congress, doubleTwist announced a partnership with global chip maker Qualcomm to bring a new open source wireless media streaming platform to the marketplace.

The two companies will demonstrate the new technology to representatives from the mobile, wireless and consumer electronics industries at this week’s premier global mobile conference. Built upon Qualcomm’s AllJoyn platform, doubleTwist’s MagicPlay will effortlessly connect smartphones and tablets with speakers, TVs, car audio systems and more.

“Over the last year we have been asked by many device makers if we could develop a simple and universal solution for the consumer electronics market that would serve the hundreds of millions of Android and other devices outside the Apple ecosystem,” said Jon Lech Johansen, of doubleTwist. “MagicPlay enables users to amplify their smartphone’s music and enjoy it on any speaker or entertainment system. Our partnership with Qualcomm will enable OEMs to easily integrate this functionality with devices they bring to market.”

Wireless speakers, wireless headphones, Smart TVs and many other device manufacturers will be able to add support for MagicPlay by simply embedding an open source component. doubleTwist Player for Android will be the first application to integrate MagicPlay this Spring. Subsequently, the MagicPlay source code will be released to third-party developers to embed into their apps starting in the 3rd quarter of 2013. Consumers will be able to stream their music to any MagicPlay connected device from doubleTwist Player or any other MagicPlay-compatible app on their mobile device.

MagicPlay is built on top of Qualcomm’s AllJoyn platform, which provides the core building blocks developers need to address discoverability, connectivity, security and management of dynamic, ad-hoc networks between nearby devices.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – February 25, 2013 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. (QuIC), will extend the AllJoyn™ software development project with new core interoperable services to enable richer experiences for consumers. These new services will be available on devices with different operating systems and from different vendors.

The AllJoyn framework will include new services designed to address fundamental use cases to enable a truly useful Internet of Everything. Today, the AllJoyn SDK provides the core building blocks developers need to address discoverability, connectivity, security and management of dynamic, ad-hoc networks between nearby devices. With the addition of these planned AllJoyn services, manufacturers and developers will be able to utilize higher-level components that implement some of the most common use cases. QuIC expects to release fully functional versions of these core services under an open source license on AllJoyn.org and such services will include:

Onboarding – a ‘headless’ or other simpler smart device can easily be configured via an intermediary, such as a smartphone application, for use onto a user’s personal network

Notifications – enabling a standard way for devices to broadcast and receive text, image and multimedia notifications

Audio Streaming – facilitating an interoperable, open, wireless audio streaming protocol that allows users to stream their music across products from any manufacturer

Control – allowing for devices to export their control interfaces, including rich graphical elements associated with them

These new core services will be upstreamed into the AllJoyn open source project by May 2013. It is expected that many Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. platforms and products will include integrated support for these services as well.

A useful Internet of Everything will emerge when connected products, applications and consumer services can interact via a common communications protocol,” said Rob Chandhok, president of QuIC. “We are driving toward this vision by adding new core services intended for very broad application but deliberately designed to be simple and basic so that they can be adapted to as-yet unforeseen future requirements. The opportunities for proximal networking in the home and automotive environments are a clear place to start; over time, and with the engagement of the open source community and manufacturers, we hope to extend AllJoyn such that any product with a processor can be made more useful to individuals and enterprises through simple connection and interaction with other devices, regardless of vendor or operating system.”

The audio streaming and notification services will be demonstrated in the Qualcomm booth (Hall 3, Booth #3864) at Mobile World Congress from Feb. 25-28 in Barcelona. The audio streaming demo is via an Android multimedia player application from doubleTwist Corporation and will be showcased with the recently introduced Qualcomm Skifta Audio Module.

About Qualcomm Incorporated

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm’s licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm’s engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm’s website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.